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Though people might think otherwise the X-type isn’t horrible. I sold one last Summer and it ran great. The only problem? Electric. The electronic controls for the air con were flaky. New owner was informed, demonstrated the issue, but still laid out his cash. My niece drove it mainly. She...

Finishing up testing cars so I can go back to my own project Mini and my backlog. I’m all done after today. Got let out early last night after the small Mercedes SUV I was assigned had a loud clunk in 1st through 3rd gear. Mechanic looked it over and said it was likely the transmission. With...

I’ve only ever seen brake rotors glowing that way in race cars… your car isn’t a racer and that glowing red hot rotor may have affected other parts including a bearing. Not sure why that corner is grooving out so much unless the line is damaged a bit further up the way. Hard to know just from a...

Removed the front end support, drained coolant and removed the washer reservoir from the Mini. Put the condenser up out of my way for now, and will have to work around it when the head comes off. I’m trying to avoid losing my refrigerant charge, so it remains. Removed the heat shields from the...

It’s surprising how well that little strip of plastic tied on holds… I’ve got the front end off of my R56 Mini, and the things that held on tighter and didn’t break until snipped were zip ties. Don’t assume the engineers didn’t test out that fastener type in durability testing. It’s what I’m...

I’ve used the basic compressor on struts and rear struts (small springs). I was always careful when tightening, not going too fast and compressing each side evenly. Thing is for me, it takes a while to get the job done. I have that clamshell compressor but it’s too large for the small struts on...

Many years ago I was on the fence about a Cadillac. The 1995 Fleetwood Brougham I bought for $1800 from a dealer didn’t have the Northstar, but a reliable (mostly) Chevy LT1 5.7 V8. I drove that car for about 8 years, fixing not engine concerns (except for the OptiSpark once) but electrical and...

I’d go for the cheap one and plan to do some maintenance. Cleaning, belts, tensioner, oil, etc. I’d save that $4k and get one that isn’t crazy miles (I don’t consider 95k to be high).

My project Mini progresses. I removed the front bumper cover and am on the last leg of removing the front structure of bumper, radiator support, etc. Next is the AC condenser and radiator. I need to carefully put the condenser aside, drain the coolant and remove the radiator. Once that’s out, I...

Very much so on those I’ve picked up, Ford and Dodge. I added a back up camera to my Charger (along with navigation, satellite, Bluetooth, etc.) and the wires under the console and to the dash were cut and not sealed. I was able to tap a key-switched power lead for the camera, but I sealed the...

My Mini Cooper S is direct injection, and gets the carbon crud build up. I tried the injection of GDI cleaners into the intake, and it did little. Still a lot of carbon. The only sure fire cure is fine (not coarse) walnut shells fed through a blasting rig. And, a shop vac attachment that fits...

Springs in this vintage Mercedes are failure prone. They need replacing more often than not. My old 190E 2.3 had bad ones. I was driving about 60mph on a local county road when I hit a bump. I heard a loud thunk, the car leaned over on the right side and I caught a glimpse of a large piece...

My family is solidly in the Kirby camp, as I can remember the salesman demonstrating one to my mom and dad back in 1972. My mom had that one for 11 years and traded it in on a new one from another salesman. I have a Kirby now and it’s equipped with a power drive unit that makes it really easy...

Everyone’s going to happily spend your money. If you choose to take a chance with that one, it’s your chance. I won’t judge you if you did use it. 👍 I used a similar no-name oil filter-cooler on my 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan and have had no issues, leaks or sensor problems. None. But if it did...

I have many tools in duplicate (because sometimes you need to use two, or if one actually breaks you have another). I tend to need ratchets of a certain type for jobs, so having only a couple of those doesn’t work for me. I have fixed head, flex head, short, medium and long handled. I prefer...

I have these and use them in low stress situations where they are not a critical fastener. I wouldn’t put high torque on these things as you have learned. Lesson is over, and I’d pick up Grade 8 for what you’re doing. 😎

I tend to do that “while I’m here” approach. Because I don’t enjoy doing a job twice when a part inevitably fails.

These words: head gasket replacement. On: the 2007 Mini Cooper S R56 on the N14 engine. I went through it after the dealer tech analyzed and diagnosed it. He left off a connector to the VVT solenoid and removed a vent valve on the crankcase ventilation built in to the valve cover. I have on...

I’ve considered this when I wanted a cheap AWD car (I strip any leftover police equipment and tie up any wire since they can cause all kinds of electrical issues). But, the water pump issue and the cramped interior vs the Utility version is why I never got one. I liked my 2016 Explorer Sport...

I bought factory battery insulators like this for the Grand Caravan, my former trucks I got used, and a Subaru we have here. The factory puts them on for a reason, since they don’t spend a dollar unless it’s necessary. I can’t attest that it’s made everything wonderful for the battery, it does...